Ronin
by LikeIdTellU
Summary: Natasha barely spared a glance for the extraction team, heading straight for Fury. "Where is he?" she growled, "Where is Clint?" "Natasha Im so sorry...". And for once Fury looked vaguely apologetic. On the other side of the world a young man woke up in a room that would be so very familiar, if only he could remember.
1. Chapter 1

**Ronin**

**Prologue**

'I met Clint Barton in Paris, I know very romantic. Truth is it was not. He was sent to kill me and instead let me live, lovely isn't it? He brought me back to SHEILD and somehow convinced Fury to employ. Don't ask me how Im still trying to work it out. Despite what many people believe Clint and I were never in a relationship, the thought of dating him is quite frankly disgusting. He was like a younger brother to me, annoying and sarcastic and completely wonderful.

There really is not much to tell, how do you explain your best friend and confident to people he hardly knew, much less knew him?

But I will tell you this, the day Clint Barton drowned off the coast of Ireland, a piece of me died with him".

Natasha stepped off the podium, taking one look inside the coffin before she took her place in the crowd, even though she knew what was in there.

Nothing. When the extraction team had gotten to Clint's last location there had been nothing left but a flaming yacht.

Natasha wanted to cry, but the Black Widow shed no tears.

**TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter one: Miles to go before I sleep

She is running  
A hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction  
She is trying  
But the canyon's ever widening  
In the depths of her cold heart  
So she sets out on another misadventure just to find  
She's another two years older  
And she's three more steps behind

Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?  
Or does anybody even knows she's going down today  
Under the shadow of our steeple  
With all the lost and lonely people  
Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me  
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?

She is yearning  
For shelter and affection  
That she never found at home  
She is searching  
For a hero to ride in  
To ride in and save the day  
And in walks her prince charming  
And he knows just what to say  
Momentary lapse of reason  
And she gives herself away

If judgment looms under every steeple  
If lofty glances from lofty people  
Can't see past her scarlet letter  
And we never even met her

He is running  
A hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction

-Does Anybody hear her by Casting Crowns

Abandoned Warehouse- Seattle- one year after Clint's death.

An elder man entered the warehouse flanked by two grim faced bodyguards. Large did not even begin to describe the huge mountainous beings. It was quite frankly freaky.

"I thought I told you to come alone, General Rivens", came the distinctly feminine voice from the shadows.

The old man chuckled, a deep husky sound that grated on the nerves of all who heard it. "Ah", he said, "But you see I am no fool to go into danger without backup. And you are quite dangerous my dear Black Widow".

If anyone else had called her 'my dear' the Black Widow would have snapped their necks. As it was General Rivens was protected by the information he had, she could end his miserable life later on the grounds that he was a dirty perverted paedophile. She remembered seeing his name on SHEILD's hit list; maybe she could get Fury's say so later. On second thoughts the Black Widow needed no permission to kill.

Perched in the rafters Natasha smirked, she couldn't wait. "General you wound me, I said you would walk out alive and I always keep my word. All I want is information on Project Thorn, nothing more and certainly nothing less".

Rivens swallowed reflexively, a bead of sweat rolled down his neck and disappeared into the neck of his designer jacket. What he was about to tell would piss off a lot of people, some of them quite high up. But then again this was the Black Widow and she was, let's just say she was extremely persuasive. "Project Thorn was started by the CIA as a way to keep an eye on the various gangs in Japan".

"So it's an intelligence operation", Natasha muttered.

"No", corrected Revins, "It was supposed to be an intelligence operation. It went corrupt and the people trained for Project Thorn started a gang of its own".

And now they have gained enough power, and supporters, to threaten SHEILD. Natasha scowled; this was beginning to sound dangerously like the Red Room.

"Who's the leader?" she asked.

"I don't know".

"Bullshit, I know your lying. Don't make me ask you again. Who's the leader?"

General Revins took a deep, steadying breath and took a shot in the dark. Figuratively speaking of course, if he has actually done so the Black Widow would have killed him. "Yuki".

"Yuki what?"

"Just Yuki, I don't know anything else".

A deep contemplative silence filled the warehouse and the tension levels rose significantly.

"Can-can I leave?" the General asked, cursing inwardly when his voice cracked.

"No". The Black Widow sounded amused. "You may not".

The door swung shut behind them with a clang, an ominous clicking noise filling the dreadful silence. It sounded suspiciously like a lock.

XXX

"Damn it Natasha", Tony growled when the Black Widow returned to the quinjet covered in blood that damn sure didn't come from her. "You were only supposed to question the guy, not kill him".

Natasha collapsed- gracefully- into a chair. "He resisted".

"Yeah I would resist too if you were coming at me with guns blazing. Come to think of it so would everyone else". Tony sighed and ran a hand through his sweaty hair; he was way too tired to deal with moody temperamental assassins. Where was Barton when you needed him? Hopefully in Heaven.

"Fuck off Stark, the man was a paedophile; the world should thank me for ridding it of him".

_Well congrats Nat, I applaud your initiative. Can you hear me clapping?_ She could almost hear his sarcastic commentary, could almost hear him taking her to task for the stunt she just pulled. God she missed him.

"Yeah, yeah. Remind me to get you a lollypop when we get back to the rest of the team. What did you learn?"

_Stop stalling carrot top and tell the guy already. He's only said two sentences and already Im sick of his voice._

Natasha sighed and rubbed her forehead. It had been a year; a whole damn year and still she could hear his voice. Still she missed him so much it hurt. Every time she pulled a dangerous stunt she half expected Clint to be waiting in her apartment, a bottle of vodka in his hands and a blistering lecture on how reckless she had been on the tip of his tongue. Which, Natasha admitted, was probably why she did what she had done in the warehouse. This was not a comforting thought and therefore ignored.

"Project Thorn originally started off as a surveillance operation by the CIA as a way to keep track of the various gangs in Japan. Predictably they went rogue and got themselves a new leader, a man by the name of Yuki".

"So we're going to Japan".

"Seems like it".

"Damn it, I wanted a quiet year. But no, apparently that was too much to ask".

"Stop whining Stark and get us back to the tower".

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2**

**Japan**

Sixteen highly trained guards stood outside the two-story compound; another thirteen located at random intervals inside the complex. The compound was ringed by a six-metre barbed wire fence with one exit and entrance that was heavily guarded at all hours. No one could go in and out without going through the guards and the guard dogs. No one. The place was as safe as one place could be. Or so they thought.

At six o'clock local time a supply truck stopped at the entrance and the driver, a middle aged European man by the name of Sebastian [35, asthmatic, used to be a boxer, arrested twice for attempted arson before moving to Japan] got out of the truck to show the two guards stationed there his security clearance. One of the guards went into the trailer to check for intruders, he got out five minutes later complaining of a cold and burying himself in a thick hoodie.

At six thirty Sebastian finally cleared security and drove into the cark park reserved for supply trucks and waited for the workers to unload it before he took a piss, got in his truck and drove off.

At seven thirty Major Alto [paedophile and supporter in slave trade], the owner of the compound, was found dead in his apartment. Well his body was found, it took them five minutes to work out were the head had rolled.

No evidence was found of his murderer and it wasn't until the day after a guard was reported missing. It took them two days to connect the dots, but when they did they wasted no time and resources in trying to find the assassin.

It was a noble effort, but ultimately doomed to fail.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**This fic had been temporarily put on hold.**

**Sincerely,**

**LikeIdTellU**


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